Shirley waste firm fined $38K for Harvard oil spill

Shirley waste removal contractor Mitrano Removal Services has been fined $38,480 for failing to promptly notify state officials about a 30-gallon oil spill and a delay in cleaning up the site.

According to the state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), a Mitrano Removal Services vehicle last May released about 30 gallons of hydraulic oil during work at the Bromfield School in Harvard, as well as on a public street between the construction site and company offices.

The spill, was caused after a hydraulic line on the truck ruptured, causing the oil to spill onto the school parking lot and into a nearby catch basin.

The truck was driven back to the company's Shirley offices without notifying school officials or MassDEP.

A citizen notified the Harvard Fire Department about two hours later, and a contractor was hired to perform a cleanup.

In an agreement, the company is required to provide training to employees about the appropriate response to such incidents, sign a contract with an on-call cleanup contractor and pay the $38,480 fine in full.